Gender-Based Violence & Femicide

It wouldn’t be authentically me if I didn’t start this off with something very close to my heart. Not only is it something I am very passionate about advocating against, it is also on a steady incline in this country and our government is dragging its feet to fight it, to fight for us and our existence. It is non-other than Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. Simply put, GBV is any act of violence that results in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women whether in public or private. This form of violence is most common in romantic relationships. Femicide on the other hand is understood as the intentional senseless killings of women just because they are women by immoral men.

Black women have been subjected to Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in this country for years. Our foremothers fought off their husbands and stayed in abusive marriages for the sake of their children they would say. They fought off white police men who forced themselves unto them during apartheid, this is nothing new. We are just fortunate enough that we are a generation that does not have to baby these issues and dance around them. We can actively advocate against it, show up for victims, offer support, and push our government for stricter laws against perpetrators. Most importantly, put our logo in practice. Educate black women about all types of abuses and how to spot these red flags early in relationships and leave, Empower black women who have endured abuse and re-assure them that it is\was not their fault, Encourage black women to continuously speak out against perpetrators and always keep the energy even when there isn’t a social uproar.

I have never been a victim of GBV or Femicide, my sincerest apologies if I speak from a place of privilege. However, these tough conversations need to be had but with a warm amount of empathy. There is nothing we have not done to fight for ourselves, we have marched, wore black, wore nothing, signed petitions, wrote letters to the president but still no change. Only a small percentage of black women get the justice they deserve. In South Africa being a woman is an extreme sport, but being a black woman in South Africa means you are at the bottom of the barrel. We are always subjected to the worst forms of injustices and mysogynoir. Seeing that we have struggled for years changing societies skewed perspective of us, I propose we change how we respond to men belittling us to mere objects , abusing and killing us. If you weren’t aware yet, WE ARE ON OUR OWN, our safety is in our hands. It is saddening that we have come to a point where we have to make ourselves aware of tips and tricks to avoid GBV/Femicide instead of men being decent human beings.

Last week on Tuesday the 6^th, Checkpoint on Etv had a broadcast on e-hailing services I urged everyone to watch but if you didn’t, worry not I will break it down for you guys. The responsibility is on e-hailing companies to ensure maximum safety of riders through constant and consistent monitoring of drivers, suspension and firing of drivers that are perpetrators and to ensure drivers are properly investigated for criminal records or history of sexual offense before hiring. However, these corporations are not making our safety their priority.

POINTERS TAKEN FROM CHECKPOINT:

•     Check the boot before entering your Uber\Bolt ride.
•         Do not enter if another person is in the car.
•         Sit at the seat directly behind the driver.
•         Check if the doors are not on child lock.
•         Do not enter if the driver is not the one who appears on the profile picture, he may have bought a profile.
•         Always let someone you trust know about your whereabouts, constantly.
•         Buy a pepper spray and always have it on hand, not in your purse.

(Pepper spray is available at Shoprite for R100, I checked other stores and this is the cheapest. Shop it here https://www.checkers.co.za/c/Pro-Secure-Pepper-Spray-60ml/p/10481850EA )

GBV is much deeper and has multiple layers and cannot be fully addressed in one blog post therefore it will be a topic we will be covering for the next few blog posts to make sure we leave no stone unturned.

If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, please don’t hesitate to contact POWA (People Opposing Women Abuse) on 011642434. They also have a lockdown counsellor available telephonically from 08:30 – 16:30 Monday-Sunday. For more information, please visit their site   https://www.powa.co.za/POWA/ .

 

As usual, please feel free to comment down below on how you feel about GBV/ FEMICIDE in South Africa and what you think is the best way to put an end to this bitter reality. Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t and please continue sharing blog information with your friends and family and let us grow our family because there is a new table in town and everyone has a seat with their name on it.

 

Love,

A Determined Black Woman